Nitto NT05's... Got 'em? Whats your Story?

Discussion in 'Rims and Tires' started by MoneyPit, May 8, 2009.

  1. MoneyPit

    MoneyPit Exposed Member

    Messages:
    138
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2008
    Location:
    Near salt water
    oh dude you're killin' me. 17 has so many cops on it now you'd think they had donut stands every mile or something. I've heard of the Mt. Hamilton run. One of these days...

    And as for Sunnyvale/Cupertino... I was born and raised in Sunnyvale. On the one hand I know where ALL the real serious roads are there (Hwy9 from Saratoga to Castle Rock, then turn around and run the coast range and go back down via Old Page Mill Rd.)

    Thats the good news. The bad news is I was on a bicycle back then. Never took any of it on 4 wheels. And whatever it was I had to be able to get there and home by bike in a day... so no Mt. Hamilton.

    Hah! Jim Rockford School of Driving!
    Well, I don't think they are going to last beyond 4. At least not my first set... and those suffered from bad tire pressures (was still learning) on Day 1 that ate them up real bad. I now have a second pair of R6-shod tires *and wheels* (taking me up to 6) and on May 27, Day 4 for those tires, I will run the new ones in the front and first one pair of the older ones and then the other (if needed) in the rear.

    The tires definitely harden up between uses, despite my having them heat cycled by Tire Rack in advance. However if you run them around a 6/10'ths first lap they get nice and sticky again, and stay that way all day. So far.

    We shall see what kind of wear and use I can squeeze out of this next pair, and the pairs I rotate in after I use up the used ones I have now. Now that I've apparently figured out the (ridiculous) starting tire pressure I expect to see lesser wear. Instead of getting 4 days out of a tire I'd sure like to get more, as I got 11 out of a pair of Bridgestones.

    We need to see if we can hook up for a driving day. BRP last time was fun. Right now it looks like I am taking June off until Infineon on July 4. But I may do Thunder Hill on June 6 if the piggy bank fills up again. Depends on the hours I bill out 'tween now and then on the weekends, which is what pays for this hobby.


    Its spelled Robertson everywhere else and MoneyPit here :D[/quote]

    Whoaaaa there pardner. Roll back to Post #1. I'm not comparing these tires to the Hoosier R6's I run on now. I am comparing them to the Bridgestone RE-050A Pole Positions I have run on for two years until very recently, this year. I was still running on them when I met up with DadsSRT8 earlier this year at Buttonwillow. I am not saying the NT-05's are an inferior track tire to ... a track tire. I am saying that they are inferior to another street tire that is also classed as an uber-doober, yabba dabba doo performance tire. Significantly inferior. Unfortunately, the Nitto's are $200 tires while the Bridgestones are $325 or so. You get what you pay for I guess. And the B's are a low profile tire (if you went to the SRT Track Experience and noticed the tires looked weird... thats the same size). Not sure if I said it before or not, but I got 11 days use out of a pair of Bridgestones on the track. So even though they were $325, I got a lot of value for that price.

    I like the Nittos - as a fun street tire. But I found it to have a clear limit that I *think* is due to the weight of our vehicles. Thats the only way I can understand how people can say "its a great track tire thats just like an R compound" in the reviews by guys driving other kinds of cars.

    Somewhere I have video of me on Thunder Hill, sliding on NT 05's like I was on ice skates. I'll try and dig it up.
     
  2. DadsSRT8

    DadsSRT8 Crusin in Mag

    Messages:
    461
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2008
    Location:
    So Cal
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DadsSRT8 [​IMG]
    I am back a BRP in June for the 6 hour endouro (spectator) .. but taking the BMW this time for HPD...

    We need to see if we can hook up for a driving day. BRP last time was fun. Right now it looks like I am taking June off until Infineon on July 4. But I may do Thunder Hill on June 6 if the piggy bank fills up again. Depends on the hours I bill out 'tween now and then on the weekends, which is what pays for this hobby.

    Let me know Matt... After June I am debating Willow in August or heading up north.. I also got bumped to HPD 3 last time out with the Mag... tell you about when we get together.. NASA has been quite a bit more enjoyable than the previous sponsor we had last time...
     
  3. StnePny3

    StnePny3 Full Access Member

    Messages:
    275
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2008
    Location:
    Santa Monica, Calif
    If the RE 050's were decent, I would like to know how the Bridgestone RE 70's and/or the RE 11's would do? The Falken RT-615's catch my eye today (I know nothing about them)

    Why do we like to push heavy cars around, but, fat chicks never catch our eye? Sorry different tread.
     
  4. MoneyPit

    MoneyPit Exposed Member

    Messages:
    138
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2008
    Location:
    Near salt water
    Unfortunately the RE 70 isn't available in anything larger than a 17" tire so its not in the ballpark. The RE 11's I have had my eye on, but at present there's no size there that works either. No 20" tires at all, and the 265/40/18 is a little wider than I would like for an 8.5" wheel. There is a 255/35/18 but thats a 25" diameter tire, and I am damn near dragging my rockers on corners as it is on 26" tires (the 255/40/18 Hoosiers).

    The Falkens are actually my backup plan for track tires. They make a 255/40/18 that has decent (if still inadequate, but better than the Hoosiers) weight capacity, and they only cost $165 or so at that size. But that will only happen if the Hoosiers start failing inspections. Running R compound rubber is a curse. Once you've experienced it you won't go back to street rubber. I had high hopes for the Nittos in that regard and am bummed out big time about them.
     
  5. StnePny3

    StnePny3 Full Access Member

    Messages:
    275
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2008
    Location:
    Santa Monica, Calif
    Yes, the largest RE 70 I saw was a 19". But I could have sworen that I seen a 20" RE 70 in Stack booth at SF '09 or one of the booths on that side next to the Brembo booth?
     
  6. MoneyPit

    MoneyPit Exposed Member

    Messages:
    138
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2008
    Location:
    Near salt water
    I double-checked with Bridgestone before posting. The largest size they make is 17" on the RE-070. You're probably thinking of an RE-11 which does go up to 19".